Japanese automakers are working to shorten vehicle development cycles as they respond to Chinese competitors and changing customer demand. The article says Japanese companies typically take four to five years to develop a new model, compared with less than two years for Chinese automakers.
Nissan plans to use shared platforms for models of similar size. It aims to develop a new SUV for North America in three years and one month, targeting a 2028 launch; platform-sharing could reduce development time for related models by as much as 40%, to two and a half years. The strategy is expected to cover 80% of Nissan’s global sales and reduce the number of part types by 70%.
Honda’s “Triple Half” initiative seeks to halve development costs, timelines and workloads against 2025 levels, with new development projects using AI and other digital tools starting in 2028. Toyota is reducing part variety and, through Project Area 35, aims to make plant-floor space use 35% more efficient. Suzuki wants to bring development down to about two years, while Mitsubishi is targeting a 20% reduction to three years by around 2030. The article notes that the Japanese companies’ ability to match rivals on cost and scale remains uncertain.